Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Expired Pfizer Shots Administered To Almost 900 People New York
CBS News: Nearly 900 New Yorkers Who Got COVID-19 Vaccine In Times Square Received Expired Doses
Almost 900 people were injected with expired Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses at a vaccination site in New York's Times Square last week, CBS New York reports. The New York State Health Department is recommending that they schedule another Pfizer shot. Eight-hundred-ninety-nine people got the injections at the former NFL Experience building between June 5 and 10. (Howard, 6/16)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
The Oregonian: Oregon’s $100 Gift Cards Motivated People To Get COVID-19 Shots, State Says, And Several Hundred Remain Available
More than 400 people can still score $100 gift cards beginning Wednesday if they decide to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Oregon Convention Center. The state rolled out the incentive program last week to entice more people to get vaccinated, and it appears to have worked in part. Some people lined up at the convention center two hours before doors opened June 12, Gov. Kate Brown’s office said, the first day shots came with a $100 gift card to Fred Meyer or Safeway. (Zarkhin, 6/16)
The Mercury News: New California Vaccine Prize: Six Flags Ticket With Shot
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new giveaway to encourage more Californians to get vaccinated — 50,000 free tickets to the state’s four Six Flags amusement parks for those who get shots at nearby community clinics. Newsom said in a visit to the Texas-based amusement park chain’s California flagship — Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia — that although California has among the country’s highest vaccination rates, “we recognize that a lot of people haven’t gotten vaccinated, and we need to do more to encourage them.” “Get a single dose of the vaccine,” Newsom said, “you will get a free ticket.” (Woolfolk, 6/16)
Axios: Graphic: Which States Have Vaccinated At Least 70% Of Adults
In 15 states, at least 70% of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the latest CDC data shows. On the flip side, fewer than 50% of adults have gotten at least one shot in four states including Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The majority of states (29) have reached 60% or more of adults with at least one dose of the vaccine. (Reed, 6/16)
